Scripture Series: His Word Do I Hope Pop-Up Card Box---It's Inspirational for an Anything Goes Challenge at Word Art Wednesday!

A Blessed Wednesday morning, friends!  It's time for another bi-weekly Challenge at Word Art Wednesday (WAW).  This week's Scripture Word Art (you can download for free at the WAW site) comes from Psalm 130:5 which says, "I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope."  Psalm 130 is one of the shortest Psalm I came across with with a theme that centers in the assurance of forgiveness that only a gracious God can provide.  

I would like to share with you what I read in my Life Application Bible regarding this Psalm that we can apply in our daily situations.  It explains, "In the depths of despair, the writer (Anonymous) cried out to God.  Despair makes us feel isolated and distant from God, but this is precisely when we need God most.  Despair over sin should not lead to self-pity, causing us to think more about ourselves than God.  Instead, it should lead to confession and then to God's mercy, forgiveness and redemption.  When we feel overwhelmed by a problem, feeling sorry for ourselves will only increase feelings of hopelessness, but crying out to God will turn our attention to the only One who can truly help.  Keeping a record of sins (or holding a grudge) is like building a wall between you and another person, and it is nearly impossible to talk openly while the wall is there.  God does not keep a record of our sins; when he forgives, he forgives completely, tearing down any wall between us and Him.  Therefore, we fear (revere) God, yet we can talk to him about anything.  When you pray, realize that God is holding nothing against you.  His lines of communication are completely open."

How wonderful it is to have an assurance of God's grace and forgiveness.  Jesus died on the Cross so that man can freely live a life without the curse of sin that separates us from the Father now and forever.  Though he died for all of mankind, only those that acknowledge they have sinned against the most righteous God and trust the finished work (death, burial and resurrection) of Jesus Christ at the Cross can attest to the joy and peace that comes from a right standing (justification) bestowed by God to them that believed.  Simply put, how can anyone ask for forgiveness if they believed they haven't done anything wrong in the sight of the most holy God?  Yet, if we stay true to ourselves and if God is unforgiving, none of us will ever exist.  God knew (Omniscience) what mankind would do---the betrayal, murder, ungodliness, pride and the list goes on yet he chose to still create us.  God can exists without people but people cannot exist without God!  The Word of God clearly declares in Ecclesiastes 7:20, "Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins."  Jesus had to come and pay for our sins and only those who placed their faith in what He did (Born-again, John 3:3) are washed by the blood of the Lamb.  It does not mean that believers are incapable of making mistakes.  While we are living in this corrupt world and in earthly bodies, we can still be tempted to sin.  But the difference from a life of an unbeliever and a believer is that believers are no longer in bondage to sin (uncontrollable urge to sin and rebel against God that it dominates their life choices---it has become their lifestyle!).  Believers have the option to pursue God's path and when we fall into temptation, the Holy Spirit (living inside of us) leads us to repentance.  A true believer does not delight in a life of sin.  We acknowledge that Jesus paid a high price (His life) for our freedom and when He said "Go and sin no more," He knows it's possible because of His Spirit living inside every believer.  We live this life not of our own will and power but by the Spirit who keep us in God's plan and purpose.

There's desperation in this country right now because of the events happening here and around the globe.  It seems like good news are rare and evil is rampant.  Though emotions are running high, I'm so grateful that the Holy Spirit keeps me in line with His Truth. The Word of God is our life source.  It warns, teaches, inspires and directs us.   It  presents the pro's and con's of our actions and it also tells us things that are to come and how it will come to an end.  It's a story of how evil is destroyed by the Truth.  So, when I am in despair about our present circumstances, I go to a higher ground to have a broad perspective and trade my earthly eyes with the spiritual eyes of the Spirit.  Up there, I can breathe a good sigh of relief!  God is in control and His Word is the Only stable Truth I can trust in this lifetime. I encourage everyone to keep praying for God's divine intervention in the affairs of our country and the world.  Nothing is impossible with Him!  In conclusion, I would like to share an excerpt from the speech made by a Republican Presidential candidate, Senator Marco Rubio, who announced the suspension of his candidacy last night after incurring major loses in yesterday's Primaries following months of excruciating campaign.  Though I'm supporting a different candidate,  I am deeply moved by the speech he delivered to thank the people that supported him and his acknowledgement of the Truth at God's sovereignty.  I thought it's worthy of sharing. To read the full speech---it's HERE:

"And I want to leave with an expression of gratitude to God in whose hands all things lie. He has a plan for every one of our lives. Everything that comes from God is good. God is perfect. God makes no mistakes. And he has things planned for all of us. And we await eagerly to see what lies ahead. And so I leave tonight with one final prayer, and I use the words of King David because I remain grateful to God:

“Yours O Lord is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth. Yours is the dominion, O Lord, and you exalt yourself as head overall. Both riches and honor come from you and you rule over all. And in your hand is power and might and it lies in your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone.” (Senator Marco Rubio, 3/15/2016)

For this Card, I used a flower image I got free from a "Craft Stamper" magazine purchase.  There were so many inspirational projects inside that showed the versatility of the stamp and I thought I would give it a try.  I've been wanting to try this Pop-Up Box technique but was unable to so after stamping the flowers into different colored CS and fussy cutting them, this fold came to mind.  I'm really glad I finally am able to create one.  The base card is Kraft, cut and scored to make an A7 size that will fit in a box when it's folded flat.   The DP's came from Recollections, the eyelets are also from Recollections and the stamped swirl all over the card is from Unique stamps.  I punched several leaves using Fiskars punch and added some glitters (Stickles-Crystal) to the flowers and the leaves.  As always, I finished it all up with some awesome stitching.  I am very happy with my very first Pop Up Card Box.

                                          HIS WORD DO I HOPE POP-UP CARD BOX:

                                   HIS WORD DO I HOPE POP-UP CARD BOX CLOSE-UP:

                                     HIS WORD DO I HOPE POP-UP CARD BOX SIDE-VIEW:

                                 HIS WORD DO I HOPE POP-UP CARD BOX MESSAGE PANEL:

                                    HIS WORD DO I HOPE POP-UP CARD BOX FOLDED:

                           HIS WORD DO I HOPE POP-UP CARD BOX WITH ENVELOPE-BOX:

This Card is entered into the following Challenges:

Crafty Friends---ATG
Catch the Bug---Bright and Cheery
Crafting with Friends---ATG
Artistic Stamper---Springtime
Craftyhazelnut's---Patterned Paper
Creative Moments---Spring has Sprung
Gem of a Challenge---Spring
One Crazy Stamper---ATG
Simply Papercraft---ATG
A Bit More Time to Craft---ATG
Crafting with Attitude---ATG
Inspiration Destination---ATG
Allsorts---Spring is in the Air
CCC---Add Some Sparkle
Cards Galore---Make a Card
Fresh Brewed---ATG
Sisters of Craft---ATG
Your Scrapbook Place---ATG
Wonderful Wednesday---Spring
Crafty Creations---Spring Fever
Artistic Inspiration---ATG/Easter
Crafting from the Heart---ATG
Craft Your Passion---ATG
Eureka---ATG
Melonheadz Friends---Layer It Up
Not Just Cards---ATG
OLLCB---Spring is in the Air
Our Crafty Corner---ATG
Crazy Challenge---Flowers
Paper Nest Dolls---ATG
Where the Heart Is---ATG
Clear it Out---ATG/Patterned Paper (older than 1 year)
Crafty Sentiments---ATG
Fan-Tastic Tuesday---ATG with Twist: Spring
Lemon Shortbread---ATG
Retarte---ATG
TTCRD---ATG

Make sure you join us at WAW Challenge.  You can use the free Word Art in your creation and link it to our Challenge but is not a requirement.  As long as it's family-friendly, uplifting and inspirational, you can enter up to 5 times this week.  Lots of prizes to be won from our two wonderful sponsors---Kraft Outlet ($15 GC) and Imagine That Digi Stamps (3 Digi Stamps).  So excited to see what you come up with.  Anyway, cheer up and let the peace of the Lord overtake you today.  I serve a good and faithful God---Jesus Christ!